Deathly Re-entry

[Lohan2008]

Should re-entry be more realistic, resulting in (possible) death in regular game ?

Can I also have a link for the mod please ?

[SSSPutnik]

Neither, it should be an option.

[Taki117]

I think it should always be an option, It's not for everybody. I know I would have lost way more Kerbals and not had as much fun when I first started if I had to worry about it. Now that I know what I'm doing it adds an extra challenge.

Also, here's the link.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/54954-0-23-Deadly-Reentry-Continued-v4-3-1-11-14

[SSSPutnik]

Also its fun to see how much re-entry effects you can make!

[palker]

No if you want deadly reentry there is a mod for that.

[Clockwork_werewolf]

I have voted yes but only because there should be more options.

Do I think re-entry should be MORE realistic, yes. Do I think it should be as hard as Deadly re-entry, No. Without deadly re-entry I sometimes do what i call screaming re-entrys, this is where I return from another planet with maybe 5000m/s or more speed into a periapsis of 10k. This lands fine.

With deadly re-entry you always need to think about heat shielding everything on a craft and it gets very ugly sometimes. Now I realise it is a mod and I am not criticizing it, it is very good and I commend the writer but at the moment it is an option not a forced change. With any re-entry being added to stock it needs to be VERY forgiving for the new players. It needs to be almost impossible to burn up when re-entering from Kerbin orbit but still inform the player that, were they to have been going much faster more would have needed to be done. Heat Shielding might also need to work across every object attached to the craft, at least until better aerodynamics are implemented and possibly even then so things like goo containers on the sloped side of a capsule don't burn up.

I would say add a third poll option of "Yes but make it simple to use and very forgiving"

[G'th]

Deadly Reentry isn't that hard honestly. Presuming your craft is more or less inline with your heatshield (which shouldn't be an issue except for designs that are probably better served utilizing a powered descent rather than an aerobrake) then reentry simply becomes a matter of controlling your perigree so that it produces a less extreme angle of reentry. Its quite simple really, and frankly I find docking a harder procedure than reentry. For almost every single reentry, a periapsis of 30km is perfect.

[Clockwork_werewolf]

I never said Deadly reentry was hard. My craft with FAR do have problems but that's a side point. Without FAR then no I found it very easy.

My point is not that Deadly reentry is hard, it's not it is medium to easy for an experienced player. New players are not experienced, new players sometimes expect to get to orbit with one engine and a small fuel tank. New players sometimes expect orbits to happen once they go above 60k without them adding any sideways motion. New players do many things and they are not stupid things they are just inexperienced things. New players should not also have to deal with reentry until they have some experience under their belt, hence

With any re-entry being added to stock it needs to be VERY forgiving for the new players.

. With VERY being the important word when dealing with new players. Mods would still need to exist to make it harder and add complexity and parts for those that want complexity and difficulty.

[Ralathon]

Deadly Reentry isn't that hard honestly. Presuming your craft is more or less inline with your heatshield (which shouldn't be an issue except for designs that are probably better served utilizing a powered descent rather than an aerobrake) then reentry simply becomes a matter of controlling your perigree so that it produces a less extreme angle of reentry. Its quite simple really' date=' and frankly I find docking a harder procedure than reentry. For almost every single reentry, a periapsis of 30km is perfect.[/quote']

The problems posed by Deadly reentry aren't so much in the "doing" but in the "designing". If you have a competently designed ship with shielding in all the proper places anyone can figure out how to land it in 3 tries or so. The problem lies in designing that ship. You need something aerodynamically stable with a large drag to weight ratio and with everything tucked away behind the shield. Designing around these restrictions while still getting everything you want to the ground in 1 piece is the hard part.

[SRV Ron]

A better measurement on reentry is the G factor when aerobraking. Faster braking generates more heat. If those forces are over 10G, you are probably coming in at too steep an reentry angle. Such G forces are usually fatal. With the right angle, I have been able to keep aerobraking reentry from Mun to under 6G.

[iBeej]

If there is one thing KSP is missing, it's stock re-entry consequences. I don't agree with some of the posts that it should be "dumbed down" or an option. That would be like asking the devs to reduce Kerbin's gravity so it's easier for new players to get to the Mun. But the biggest part of KSP is how fun, challenging, and rewarding it was to finally accomplish what you set out to do. KSP has done very well incorporating the core risk factors of space travel and it needs to stay that way.

Furthermore, if the devs added re-entry physics, it would be yet another challenge for the players and something we would all eventually learn to do and it would become second nature. And for interstellar space travel, the only planets you have to worry about are the few with an atmosphere. Upon return, it's likely that Squad would incorporate the heat shield as a freebie to every command module and all you had to worry about was "pointing the big side retrograde".

So it all boils back down to DESIGN. Which is the most important, core part of KSP. Spending time in the VAB and getting your design just right. Heat shields and all.

It NEEDS to be implemented and it needs to be realistic, or it's pointless.

Edited January 23, 2014 by iBeej

[Javin]

What about an overall level of difficulty option, like most games? Easy, medium, hard. For hard, you'd have the "deadly reentry" plus a lot of other things (more realistic physics, certain planets having atmospheres that otherwise wouldn't, etc.) Just give them the standard options.

[Vanamonde]

Re-entry heating has always been a planned feature. It's just not very high on the priority list. Re-entry visual affects themselves are a fairly recent addition.

[RSwordsman]

Authenticity of effects is the sole reason DRE exists. I would be open to roasting equipment/crew inside its housing, as cruel as it sounds. o.0

My only issue right now is that DRE causes a game-breaking physics bug for me which makes my command pod disconnect from other parts on the launch pad. Does anybody have experience or a solution for this?

[Taki117]

Authenticity of effects is the sole reason DRE exists. I would be open to roasting equipment/crew inside its housing, as cruel as it sounds. o.0

My only issue right now is that DRE causes a game-breaking physics bug for me which makes my command pod disconnect from other parts on the launch pad. Does anybody have experience or a solution for this?

I've never had this happen. Make sure it's the latest version of DRE and that all of your other mods are up to date (if any) failing that reinstall DRE.